


Clouds

by Meatball42



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, Gen, Just Add Kittens, Kid Bucky Barnes, Kid Fic, M/M, Muteness, Super Soldier Serum, Trauma, Undercover as Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-10 06:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19495675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: Later, when they are in the air, Bucky watches the clouds through the window. They are very, very high up. The blues are different up here. Pretty.“Hey Bucky,” Steve says.Bucky turns away from the window.“I know this has all gone… really fast. And it must be… frightening.” Steve swallows and looks down at his hands. “I just want you to know that… it’s all going to be okay. I’m going to be with you the whole time, until we figure out how to undo this. Alright?”





	Clouds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sholio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sholio/gifts).



The first thing was bright light.

The second thing was hitting the ground.

He remembers looking around in confusion. Lots of loud voices, lots of strange shapes. Somewhere, people screaming in fear. Burning colors fly through the sky.

Someone calling, “Soldier? Come in Soldier!”

It was all too much. He started crying and curled up until it was over.

* * *

“And who is this young man?”

The woman in the blue jacket leans over Bucky’s chair.

Steve, who is buckling Bucky into the seat, answers. “This is my son, Jimmy. Can you say hi, Jimmy?”

Bucky waves.

“He’s a bit shy.”

“He’s going to be the best behaved kid on this flight, I bet!” the woman says under her breath.

Steve laughs.

Later, when they are in the air, Bucky watches the clouds through the window. They are very, very high up. The blues are different up here. Pretty. 

“Hey Bucky,” Steve says.

Bucky turns away from the window.

“I know this has all gone… really fast. And it must be… frightening.” Steve swallows and looks down at his hands. “I just want you to know that… it’s all going to be okay. I’m going to be with you the whole time, until we figure out how to undo this. Alright?”

Bucky nods.

Steve sighs. “Okay buddy, you want to look out the window some more?”

Bucky does.

* * *

They arrive at a small pink house on a street with other houses and lots of trees. A man comes out of the house while Steve is paying the taxi man.

He greets Steve with a long hug and a kiss on the cheek, which makes Steve turn pink.

“Hey Sam,” Steve says quietly.

Bucky is standing over on the curb with his little backpack, but he can hear them anyway.

“Hey lover,” says the new ‘Sam’ man, and Steve turns more pink.

“Oh, is that how it’s gonna be?” he says.

“That’s how it’s gonna be,” Sam replies.

They smile at each other.

Then they all go inside. 

In the entryway, the new man crouches down in front of Bucky and holds out his hand. Bucky takes it and Sam lifts it up and down a few times.

“Hey little man, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sam.”

Sam lets go of his hand, so Bucky can wave.

“We’re going to be living here together for a while. Did anybody tell you about where we are?”

Bucky shakes his head.

“Well, we’re in a little town in upstate New York, near Albany. There’s a really good preschool a few blocks over where you’re gonna go.”

Sam waits until Bucky nods, then stands up, clutching his lower back. “Man, that doesn’t get any easier. You want to see your room?”

They go on a tour of the house. There is a kitchen and a little dining room, a family room, a bathroom, and a garage on the first floor. There is a back porch and a grassy backyard. There is a basement that Bucky is not allowed to go down to, because the stairs don’t have a railing he can hold onto. Upstairs, there is another bathroom, a big bedroom for Steve and Sam, and a bedroom for Bucky.

Sam pushes open the door. The room has very light blue walls and a thick, dark blue rug. There is a small bed with blankets already on it, a dresser, a bookcase with some books, and—

Bucky runs over to a rocking horse and gets on.

Sam laughs. “You like that?”

Bucky nods, rocking backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards.

Steve appears behind Sam and he laughs, too.

* * *

They go to the school very early in the morning. Bucky plays with a bouncy ball under a desk in the office while Steve talks to Miss Beth with the door closed.

Bucky can hear them through the door.

“...just got the call, we don’t know exactly what happened, except that… his mother is gone, and he hasn’t spoken since I picked him up. But he’s very well-behaved and hasn’t gotten in any trouble at all.”

“I’m so sorry to hear this, Steve. I can assure you, all of our teachers are trained in childhood trauma. We’re absolutely prepared to help your son with any difficulties he may have, which—in cases like this, they are very common, I’m sorry to say. If I may ask, has Jimmy had any nightmares or night terrors? Any episodes of bed-wetting? If he isn’t speaking, I’d expect some other symptoms.”

“He really, _really_ likes his rocking horse.”

Miss Beth giggles. “Well, that may be a self-comforting behavior, but children are also prone to fixating on a specific toy. Have you ever had your son over for a long period of time?”

“Uh, no ma’am.”

“I want you and your husband to ask myself or any of our staff if you have any questions or need any advice. We’re here to support our students, and that includes the parents!”

“Thank you very much, ma’am. I may just take you up on that.”

Bucky bites the bouncy ball until it breaks into two big pieces and a lot of little, bad-tasting pieces. Then he keeps biting the big pieces until they are also lots of little pieces.

It tastes bad, but the rubber feels good against his teeth.

* * *

It’s getting dark outside, and Bucky knows that Steve will come to make him brush his teeth and go to bed soon, so Bucky is rocking on his rocking horse, determined to play as much as he can before he has to stop. Two rooms down the hall, Steve and Sam are talking.

“It’s been weeks and they haven’t gotten any closer to a cure.”

“Your team is used to dealing with science problems and punch-them-in-the-face problems. Magic shit is gonna take more time. And it’s probably a case of all-or-nothing.”

“I don’t know. I keep thinking about the fight, trying to remember anything that could help, or. What I could have done differently.”

“You can’t jump in front of every bullet, babe. Barnes is a grown man, he’s responsible for himself.”

“Not anymore.”

“...yeah, alright Captain Mopes-A-Lot, what’s it gonna take to cheer you up?”

“I just wish he would talk.”

Sam lets out a long sigh. “He’s doing okay. Some kids don’t talk a lot. He’s eating and sleeping and not throwing tantrums or breaking things. He manages to communicate what he wants. He’s doing pretty good, all things considered.”

“I know.”

“...Come here.”

There are some quiet, wet sounds. Bucky stops rocking. He gets in bed and makes himself go to sleep real fast.

He can brush his teeth in the morning.

* * *

They are going for a walk to the grocery store. Bucky holds Steve’s hand as they cross the street. Steve carries several cloth bags in his other hand.

If Bucky is good in the store, he gets to carry one of the bags home with a treat inside. He is always good in the store. For his treats, he has picked strawberries, blueberries, and once fruit snacks in the shape of the dogs from Paw Patrol, who have jobs like people.

Bucky freezes on the sidewalk. “ _Kotenok._ ”

Steve kneels down beside him. “What did you say?”

“ _Kotenok._ ”

“I… hold on.”

Steve drops the bags on the ground but keeps holding Bucky’s hand. He pulls out his phone.

“Nat, it's Bucky, I think he’s speaking Russian. Can you—"

He holds the phone up to Bucky’s face. “Can you say that again buddy?”

“ _Kotenok._ ”

Steve takes back the phone. 

Then he follows Bucky’s gaze to the pet store. “You like the kittens, Bucky?”

Bucky nods very big.

“Thank you Natasha. Sorry for interrupting your… no, I don’t want to know. I’ll talk to you later.”

They go inside the pet store. The kittens are in the window. Bucky watches them while Steve talks to another grown-up by the counter.

They come over and talk more, but Bucky doesn’t hear them.

 _Forever_ later, the man in the red apron takes the top off the kittens’ glass box and picks one up. Bucky turns to follow it.

“You can pet her if you like.”

Bucky reaches out. She is very, very soft, and warm, and she _moves_ under his hand. She follows his hand with her eyes. She makes a quiet sound.

* * *

“Bucky! Time for lunch!”

“Shh,” he whispers to Cloud.

She twists in his hands and lets out a tiny mew.

Sam comes into Bucky’s room. “Now where has that little boy gone to?”

Bucky giggles.

“Is he… in his closet?!”

Sam swings open the closet door, but Bucky isn’t in there. He giggles again.

“He’s not! Well then he must be… under the bed!”

Sam reaches under the bed and starts tickling Bucky’s feet. Bucky screams and lets go of Cloud. She runs out from under the bed and Bucky squirms after her.

“There he is!” Sam announces.

“No fair!” Bucky tells him. “No tickle!”

Sam laughs.

“ _Napast' na nego!_ ” Bucky directs Cloud, pointing at Sam.

She rubs up against his leg and fails to attack.

Sam doubles over laughing.

Steve comes down the hall, looks at them all, and takes a picture with his phone.


End file.
